Photograph of a tightrope walker performing in Baroda (Vadodara) from the 'Album of portraits and views in Baroda' taken by an unknown photographer in c.1880. Vadodara on the banks of the river Vishwamitri is a prosperous, well maintained city in the state of Gujarat, 244 miles from Bombay . It was capital of the princely state of Vadodara from 1734 to1947 under the Gaekwads who transformed the city into a progressive centre of education, culture and industry. After Indian independence the city became a part of the Bombay state and in 1960 of the state of Gujarat. The city was considered the cultural capital of the state; it had a number of Akhadas or gymnasiums such as the one shown here for public festivals and fairs.